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02.05.2017

3W-International GmbH offers Technical Customer Services

The new customer service of the German engine manufacturer is called 3W Engineering Services. This will not only be offered to existing and new 3W customers, but also to third-party customers and includes various service, test and measurement activities relating to engines and drive units and their further development.

Since the increased demand for complete drive units the requests to 3W-International GmbH for individual services has also increased. In the months following the Xponential Show in New Orleans in 2016, many customers have enquired about individual services. „As a result, we have decided to offer these individual services internationally to our customers as an additional product from our company“, explained Karsten Schudt, Managing Partner of 3W-International GmbH.

3W Engineering Services offers its customers a comprehensive service catalogue all around the development of individual drive concepts, the optimization of existing drive trains as well as the integration of drive systems in the UAS industry. Thereby the customers can rely on the more than 35 years of experience that the 3W-International GmbH experts have gained in the development of engines and their auxiliary systems.

One of the focal points is the design of individual drive solutions, including the subsystems, based on the customer specifications and the performance characteristics to be achieved. In the process, the 3W-International GmbH specialists not only undertake the hardware and software development, but also the development of the electronics including their manufacture. The prototype assembly together with the engine tests as well as the start of series production are likewise undertaken as the next steps.

In addition, the Hessian family business offers various engine tests for 3W and third-party engines on its test benches. These include not only the general performance measurements of combustion engines but also the thrust and power measurements, exhaust emissions analysis, engine indexing, endurance testing, blower, water and oil-pump analysis, purge image analysis, cylinder head measurement and load change calculation. EMC measurements and climate and temperature tests are likewise possible. The test benches of 3W-Internatinal GmbH can also be hired by customers on a daily basis.

Finally, 3W-International GmbH offers consultation during the integration of combustion engines into unmanned aerial systems. This, however, requires certain framework conditions. 3W-International has to be part of the project team, on the basis of signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). Preparation of a requirement specification for project coordination and definition of the requirements with dedicated tasks is a must, too. Beside this, an early know-how- and consultancy-transfer regarding the integration of propulsion technology and individual components is needed.

Information about the 3W-Engineering Service will be presented by 3W-International on Stand 3131 at the Xponential Show 2017 in Dallas.

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21.04.2017

3W-International GmbH Presents the 3W-180 SRE Hybrid Wankel

The world first will be presented for the first time to the specialist audience at the XPONENTIAL Trade Fair taking place in Dallas (USA) in May. Thus, the German engine manufacturer is expanding its range of drive products for UAVs by a further engine sector. Just as the two-stroke engines already in use in the marketplace, the new 3W-180 SRE Hybrid Wankel engine can be fuelled by petrol or kerosene, too.

„In the past, many interested parties at trade fairs and congresses have asked us about Wankel engines“ recalled Karsten Schudt, managing partner of 3W-International GmbH. For this reason, Schudt and his development team decided to expand the product segment with Wankel engine technology. In doing so, it was clear right from the start that the new engines had to fit in with the philosophy of 3W-International GmbH.

„We wanted a high-quality, fuel consumption-optimized engine which would demonstrate an outstanding power-to-weight ratio“, recalled Schudt. The 3W-180 SRE Hybrid has 180 ccm and as a short engine weighs 6.8 kg. In the high power version, at 7500 rpm it delivers 38.5 hp (nominal power 28 hp at 6000 rpm). From this there results a power-to-weight ratio of 5.66 hp/kg, with a fuel consumption of 340g/KW at full load.

The weight rises to 9.5 kg when the engine is fitted with an electric motor (starter generator). The generator also charges the super capacitors which turn the Wankel engine into a hybrid drive. Super capacitors are well-suited to hybrid applications in aviation due to their weight and fast charging and discharging behaviour.

„We are very proud that we are able to offer our customers an additional service with this modern and sustainable technology which is available at short notice“ Schudt was pleased to say. The hybrid Wankel engine can feed 15KW, depending on the capacity of the storage system, into the system for a time (for example, 30-60s). This additional power can be used when starting a helicopter or for the acceleration of a fixed wing aircraft. „Thus our customers always have a power reserve on call“, confirmed Schudt.

The 3W-180 SRE Hybrid is equipped with two independent cooling systems. A water cooling circuit undertakes the cooling of the engine housing, a second, oil cooling circuit, undertakes the internal cooling of the piston. This is a fundamental prerequisite for a drive system in aviation applications for which continuous power is also a fundamental prerequisite. Here the thermal stability, which gives added value to the 3W-180 SRE Hybrid, is of crucial importance.

In a further expansion stage, the Wankel engine can also be equipped with two drive pulleys. Through the doubling of the swept volume, the power of the naturally aspirated engine is doubled to 76 hp in the high performance variant with a short weight of 10.5Kg. This engine variant is also intended as a hybrid version. In the future, a variant with a turbocharger which is primarily intended for height compensation will also be offered.

„We can also supply the Wankel engine as a complete drive unit similar to our two-stroke engines. This means that the customer receives the engine equipped with all additional systems completely in accordance with his individual requirements“, explained Schudt.

In accordance with the engine philosophy of 3W-International, the 3W-180 SRE Hybrid can be used as a petrol or as a Heavy Fuel (HF) engine. As an HF engine, the fuels JET A-I, JP-5 or JP-8 can be used. „For the HF versions we provide high performance fuel injection which leads to a further reduction in fuel consumption“, explained Schudt. For petrol operation, intake manifold injection is provided for the fuel injection.

At XPONENTIAL in Dallas in May, 2017, 3W-International will present the hybrid Wankel engine for the first time to the specialist audience on Stand 3131. „We are looking forward to being able to introduce a new engine to our customers which, from a technological perspective, offers unparalleled advantages in terms of fuel consumption, drive performance and reliability“, said Schudt looking into the future.

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14.02.2017

Increased demand from Asia for combustion engines for unmanned helicopters

German engine manufacturer 3W-International GmbH saw increased demand for heavy fuel (HF) and gasoline combustion engines in 2016. Interest is increasing especially strongly for their use in unmanned helicopters. The reasons for this are manifold.

3W motors have been known for their use in vertical take-off aircraft since before the T-Hawk MAV unit from Honeywell. ‚Traditional helicopter manufacturers have always counted among our customers. But in 2016, we received many enquiries for their application in helicopters especially from China and Southeast Asia‘, confirms Karsten Schudt, managing director at 3W-International GmbH. ‚There are many reasons for this. Vertical take-off and landing at arbitrary locations is extremely interesting precisely in countries where most airports and airfields are military or at least state-owned, because private persons are often restricted or even prohibited from using such facilities‘, Schudt continues.

The helicopters’ deployment areas are added to this. ‚Many enquires came from agricultural areas. Here the helicopters generally come into use for sowing seed or for pest control. However, vertical take-off aircraft are also used for observing fish stocks or for recording forest stands‘, says Schudt. Vertical take-off and landing enables the helicopters to be deployed more quickly and in the direct vicinity of the usage site.

Schudt is easily able to understand the manufacturers’ considerations here: ‚Electrically driven systems are often still used for these tasks. However as soon as a greater payload has to be transported or longer deployment times are needed, the manufacturers‘ considerations begin to shift to the combustion engine.‘ Added to this is the fact that, precisely in agricultural regions, transporting fuel is often easier than charging batteries.

Consequently, many manufacturers slowly come around and build on engines made in Germany. With more than 120 standard engines and a multitude of options, 3W-International offers the right engine for every application area. ‚We have customers who offer their customers both the gasoline and the HF engine in one and the same model matched to the application area‘, explains Schudt. All of the engines can be used for both fixed-wing aircraft as well as for helicopters and VTOLs.

The helicopter versions in use are very diverse. ‚We have requests for the traditional helicopter design up to Flettner double-rotor systems and traditional hexacopters and octocopters.‘ continues Schudt. Besides agricultural applications, 3W-International’s customers also deploy combustion engines in other areas in which the helicopter clearly plays off against its advantages. Thus 3W-driven helicopters will be used in the oil and mining industry in future. The delivery of urgent consignments such as first-aid kits or medical products is involved here. The intent is to deploy the helicopters via autopilot especially in remote regions of Southeast Asia.

But security applications also lie within the helicopters‘ scope of application, whether for traffic monitoring, border control, or in the army, air force, and navy area. HF engines are deployed in unmanned helicopters particularly in the last. ‚I take it for granted that vertical take-off and landing is assuming importance in unmanned flight. VTOLs combine these capabilities with the speed and flight stability of fixed-wing aircraft. That is why we are counting on demand for our engines for vertical take-off and landing to increase further going forward. VTOLs will certainly play a leading role here‘, says Schudt looking towards the future.